NaruHina: Realization
by ShinriKiyaru
Summary: Realization is a NaruHina fan fiction. The base of the story is that Naruto realizes Hinata's feelings after the Invasion of Pain. They go out on a date, become boyfriend and girlfriend, and then are shipped off to live with a mysterious person. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Naruto laid on his futon, going over the events of the horrible day. He went over the invasion of Nagato, or as everyone else knew him by, Pain. He had noticed that Pain's name rung true. The village, and it's people, were in pain of their loss. It was most likely the worst time of destruction since the invasion of Kyubi.

Naruto winced inwardly as he thought about it. He had lost control over his emotions, and his rage had let loose the four-tailed cloak near instantaneously. His rage permitted him to jump to the sixth-tail transformation. And, when he had been trapped in the mass of stone that Nagato had created, went into the eighth-tail. He had been so near breaking the seal, that the Kyubi could have been set free, and cause more damage than what was already inflicted.

He was also going over meeting his father. The meeting angered, and joyed him. He fought inwardly with himself to get over the fact they had placed the demon inside their only child, and left him to the horrible life he had lead when he was younger.

And finally, he had an emotional impact from Hinata's blunt confession. It was unlike her, he noticed, to ever speak in such a confident manner. The blond thought back to a previous event, the time Sakura had confessed her "love" for him.

'_I'm lying to myself? Do you know how hard it is for a girl to confess her love for someone?'_ She had declared.

Naruto thought over this. Hinata had not wished him to do anything like giving up his hunt for his lost friend, Sasuke, but nearly gave her life to try and save him. That instant, he knew that the Hyuuga actually loved him. He felt an odd warmth enter him as he came across this realization, and began mulling over all the times he had seen her.

He thought over it, and every time he and she had met eyes, or been near each other, she was usually blushing, or doing everything in her ability to help him. He noticed that her disposition with her clan was most similar with his problem as the Jinchuuriki, because she had been shunned in her clan because she was weak, and a lesser fighter than her sister. Her father had never really recognized her. Naruto had the same problem, he could barely do most anything, and the villagers shunned him because of his beast.

Now, through his careful thought and consideration, Hinata understood him. She looked up to him. She wanted to be recognized by him, and walk evenly by his side. He slapped himself inwardly, chastising himself for being such a blind fool to the girl's obvious emotions.

It was then that he had clearly resolved in his head to at least try to talk to her, and maybe go out on a date with her. He never felt the way he did now, where he felt warm and an odd tingly sensation inside. He liked it. And in the morning, he would go to talk to Hinata. He turned off his lamp to rest for the last portion of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

The day was bright, warm and sunny. It was no indicator to the mass destruction that had happened in Konoha just yesterday, the three-layers of the crater now being used as platforms to rebuild the village. The "dead" had mysteriously came back to life from whatever jutsu Nagato had used.

The villagers' attitudes did not betray the destruction, just as the day didn't. Naruto was pleased to see all the villagers working hard to rebuild their lost home. It certainly wouldn't be the same, but at least the loss wasn't permanent.

With the Fifth Hokage in a deep coma, the village was having a lot of trouble finding someone to act as Hokage in place until Tsunade recovered. Naruto didn't pay much attention to this, as he was busy running around helping here and there. He was becoming frustrated that he hadn't come across, much less seen, the Hyuuga since yesterday, and was beginning to lose hope.

While keeping an eye out for her, he overheard Anko talking about a suspected Akatsuki base, which immediately caught his full attention. He snuck up to the entrance of the bland green tent and saw Kakashi-sensei and Anko talking. He nearly jumped in surprise, they were sitting on the bed in the corner of the tent, Kakashi-sensei holding the spunky woman in his arms. Naruto would have never suspected Kakashi to have a girlfriend. it seemed unnatural. But he lost interest in this find while he listened to Anko speak.

"Yes, we found an old cave that could possibly be an Akatsuki hideout. We found it while investigating one of Orochimaru's old hideouts. Kabuto had apparently come through and killed all the test subjects that were there, and basically left us a path to follow.

"And so, we tracked him and this 'Madara' character speaking outside and old cave. We hope once Tsunade-sama awakens, we'll be able to get her permission to investigate it further. Until then, all we can do is help rebuild." She explained. Kakashi-sensei merely looked at her, taking in and processing everything she had said.

"In that case, we should keep this a secret, or Naruto may just try to force his way into going." Kakashi said before nipping at Anko's neck. Naruto mulled over everything they had said. He knew that they had known he was there, and what Kakashi had said was only a warning for him not to attempt it. He turned to leave and before he knew it he was laying on the ground with a black-haired girl standing over him, with a bright red blush on her face.

He smiled at her. Her blush deepened. He looked over her body. Sakura had done a good job at healing her, there didn't seem to be any marks left from the chakra rods Pain had used.

"Gomen, Naruto-kun!" She said quickly, and bowed. He smiled again.

"It's fine, Hinata-chan. But umm.. err," All of the sudden he was speechless. He couldn't say what he wanted to. He then found out how it must have been for Hinata when she had tried to talk to him all those times before.

"Hinata-chan... d-do you want to, umm... maybe.. g-go out.. later?" He managed to say.

Her blush went into a deep crimson, and she was speechless, while her mouth hung open a bit. Her mind went blank, and all she could think of was going on a date with Naruto. She thought she was dreaming, and then, she fainted.

This wasn't what Naruto was wanting at all. Everyone turned to look at him. Unfortunately, Sakura and Ino were passing by, and heard what he had said. They stared at him, mouths wide open. Naruto waited for the familiar feeling of a fist on his head. It didn't come. He looked at Sakura, but the next moment the girls were hanging onto either of his arms, going on about how he would need to wear something nice, and take her to a nice place with good food.

Before he had gotten too far, Naruto ran back to the fainted Hyuuga and picked her up and put her on his back. For one of the first times in his life, he blushed the whole time carrying her back to the temporary medical area, where she could sleep until she reawakened.

Naruto went back out working around the village. Once or twice, he met up with his friends, and apparently, Sakura and Ino had kept quiet about his asking Hinata out, and for that he was grateful. After he had done all he had to for the day, he went to the reopened Ichiraku's for a bowl of his favorite ramen before heading back to his tent for the remainder of the evening.


	3. Chapter 3

It was another beautiful day. The sun was shining more than it had in a while, the birds were carelessly flapping about for the first time since Pain's attack, and the villagers were as busy as ever. Even the children, as Naruto was pleased to see, were helping in the reconstruction. Naruto was happy to see that the next generation could be trusted with the Village, and he had hoped that another unwanted destruction didn't happen again.

The villagers, much to Naruto's displeasure, didn't wait for the sun to come up and started once more early in the morning. Later, he found that he had been thanking them, as he had been able to come up with an idea for his and Hinata's date that afternoon. He had prepared special dishes he had learned to make on his travels with Ero-Sennin, and had desperately hoped Hinata would enjoy them. He even prepared some barbecue with the special seasoning Jiraiya had given him when he started learning how to cook on an open fire. It was a delicious, exotic blend from the far West.

He walked along, doing the chores he was assigned to do to assist the village's restoration. While preoccupied with choosing a good place for him and Hinata to have their picnic-as that's what he decided to do-and was having a rather hard time with it. But his mind also thought back to what Anko and Kakashi-sensei had spoken about. He knew they had warned him about it, he knew they didn't want him to ask about it, but he had already resolved to speak with either one of them about it.

He happened to pass along a supply shipper who had quite a bit of merchandise, and was staring at the Hokage Mount, as if he had to go up there. He had quite a bit of merchandise left to deliver through town and so Naruto walked over to him.

"Need some help?" Naruto asked the old man.

"Ah, thank you, kind sir. If you can spare the time, might you deliver these boxes to the old house on the Hokage Mount?" The old man asked with a spark of hope in his eyes.

"That'd be no problem!" He said, grabbing the couple of boxes that the old man had pointed out, and began walking towards the Mount.

Eventually, both the boxes had been too tiring for him, and so he summoned a couple of shadow clones to carry them for a while. Once they were worn out, he dispelled the jutsu and began to carry both boxes himself for the rest of the way.

As he reached the top of the Mount, he saw a rather large, two story house. It looked recently cleaned, and as if someone had recently polished the wood of the house. The double-door entrance had four large pane windows on either side of it, offering a nice view of the insides of the house as well as letting a lot of light inside.

As Naruto walked onto the porch, he heard the floorboards creak. He saw the inside, and the sight caught his breath. It was old, yet modern at the same time. The house was perfectly straightened and cleaned. There was obviously someone taking a lot of care of the house. Above the fireplace was a large painting of what appeared to be the Fourth Hokage, his father, and a red haired woman hugging him from the side.

He dropped to his knees. He started to tear up. This was his mother and his father. We had never really seen them, his father only in his mind when he was close to breaking the seal on the Kyubi's cage. She was beautiful. Her straight red hair, and round, plump face made her head look like a tomato, he though. He chuckled. Just then, as he was getting back to his feet, he remembered he had come here on a job and had already taken a lot of time.

He scrambled to gather everything up and put them in the corner of the porch, and instead of taking the path down the Mount, he instead just jumped off the Mount, and landed in a rather large puff of dust at the bottom of the Mount. He was already changed into the clothes he planned to wear, a black t-shirt with a red spiral on the back, and a pair of jeans. He was to meet Hinata where they had first seen each other after his return.

He racked his brain for an idea while he was going to pick her up. He rounded the corner, and for the second time in one day, the sight caught his breath. He had never really noticed Hinata's womanly figure, and it shocked at him how beautiful she was. She was wearing a pink shirt covered by a black short-sleeved jacket and short black pants. He had once again hit himself inwardly at not seeing her before, but all he could think about was where to take her.

His mind instantly hit him with an idea. He had recalled the beautiful woman he had seen at the waterfall three years ago, while she was moving the water around her with her chakra. It was the only thing he could think of that matched Hinata's beauty.

He walked over to her, now suddenly extremely self-conscious. He straightened his hair out a bit, and brushed the dust from his clothes.

"Hello, Hinata-chan." He said, walking up to her with a smile on his face, not missing one detail of her.

"H-hello, Naruto-kun." She said, her usually bright red blush reappearing on her cheeks.

Her mind was barely able to wrap around the fact that Naruto had asked her out, and he had shown up, exactly where they had planned. Her only fear is that she would mess it up some how. She didn't care where he took her, as long as she could have her time alone with him. By time she recovered with fainting and woke up in the medical tent, she though is was all a dream. She went home nearly without even thinking about it, but decided that morning to think it true anyway.

Now here she was, in front of her childhood crush, and now love, and she was really going to go out with him. Her heart had been in a constant rush the whole time she had seen him. But this time, she was not going to faint.

"Well then, Hinata, could we stop by my place real quick to pick something up?" Naruto asked her.

She near immediately snapped back into attention, and nodded. He took this as a yes and they walked together to his apartment. He excused himself and ran in, scrambling around to find something, uttering a light curse, and coming back out with a wicker basket. She gasped inwardly. A picnic? She thought. Her curiosity was aroused by this, and she wondered where he was going to take them.

"Well, I have our lunch, and on the way here I thought of a place we could go. It has kind of a memory of mine." He said, and they once again started walking next to each other.

It was dream-like for her. She still could hardly believe it was happening, and constantly told herself to stop thinking like that, or it may turn out to be so. She was able to finally walk next to him, and be with him without fainting. She was proud of herself, and yet wanted to remain humble next to him.

They finally arrived at the place Naruto had been talking about. This time, Hinata gasped out loud. Naruto looked questioningly over to her. She shook her head and smiled.

"It's nothing." She said. Naruto looked at her a second more, and turned his head back.

Her and Naruto walked a bit closer to the waterfall, and he set out the blanket and put the basket down. He stood back up and stretched.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day." He said with his usual large grin. Hinata's heart was beating too hard for her to respond, and she only nodded.

Naruto sat back down and opened the basket. He grabbed some of the main dishes he had prepared and set them out and used a quick heating jutsu to make them nice and hot again. Hinata herself was surprised, she had no clue he was able to cook, and everything before her looked delicious.

They both took a bite into one of the dishes and Naruto grunted in approval of his cooking, Hinata on the other hand was so surprised she couldn't really take another bite. It was delicious, she noticed. She couldn't help but smile, and looked at Naruto, which made his heart leap when he saw her white teeth showing.

"It's very delicious, Naruto-kun." Suprisingly without a stutter, she had complimented Naruto. She rejoiced inwardly and then nearly fainted at his unexpected thank you, which consisted of him hugging her. Her usual bright pink blush had turned a deep crimson. He was hugging her in approval. The whole thing was dream-like once more for Hinata, who had never imagined in her whole life that Naruto would actually hug her.

Naruto was so happy, he could barely contain himself. She had complimented his cooking and lifted the burden of worrying she didn't like it. He realized what he was doing and let go, letting his hand continue to be on her arms.

"Arigato, Hinata-chan." He said a grin. She had made him happy, she realized. She had made him happy. She couldn't help but smile back.

"This place is where I saw a beautiful girl. She was moving the water around her using her chakra, in sort of like a dance. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen, and then I figured I might as well bring us here." Naruto explained. Naruto glanced over and noticed Hinata's blush had gone into an even deeper crimson.

"What's wrong, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, wondering if he had said anything wrong to make her feel uncomfortable. Hinata, instead of looking back, stood up. Naruto looked at her questioningly but did not stop her. Hinata walked towards the pool of water that the waterfall emptied into. She took a step onto the water, keeping chakra flowing so she didn't fall in the water, she went to the middle the pool and assumed a position that made something in Naruto's head snap.

She's the girl I saw three years ago! He finally realized. He stared in awe as she started the beautiful dance. She swerved and waved in motions that he thought were incredible. She used her chakra to bend pull up water to circle it around her. It was like nothing Naruto had ever seen.

She stopped dancing. Naruto looking on like that with a small grin had made her kind of embarrassed. She took a deep breath and walked back to their lunch and sat down.

"That was amazing, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically. Hinata was so pleased with herself she found the ability to talk.

"It's just something I learned to calm down and practice my chakra control. I needed something to blow off some steam, and this is what I do." She explained. Naruto was still looking at her with a grin. Immediately she noticed what had happened, when she sat down, she had rested her hand on Naruto's. It shocked her, but when she tried to pull away, Naruto grabbed her hand and held it, not wanting to let her go.

Her blush went far deeper than it had been. Naruto didn't know how many shades of blushing one could go through, but Hinata sure had a lot of them, he thought.

They had finished their picnic and he was laying down, watching the clouds just float along in the sky. Hinata was still blushing madly, as their hands were still connected. She was holding Naruto's hand. She was trying to convince herself of the fact, but it didn't register as reality. She pinched her leg, and she felt it. It was not a dream.

They relaxed for a bit more, Naruto periodically talking about things he had seen and learned on his traveling with Jiraiya. She was still too stunned to speak, and just listened. Naruto gradually to like Hinata more and more as their time together went on. Unfortunately, the sun was going down and they would have to part.

They gathered everything and picked it up. Naruto looked over to Hinata, and he gave her a quick hug.

"Arigato again, Hinata-chan. You made me happy when you said you liked my cooking, I never really did get much practice with Jiraiya, but I do remember how the chefs did it." He said. Hinata just nodded and blushed more furiously than before.

Hinata was saddened by their parting, but the eventual time she had been dreading had come, and Naruto had already said they could hang out tomorrow. They walked to her house holding hands, but once they rounded the corner, they let go so non of the Hyuga would see it. He waved and walked off towards his temporary tent to lie down and rest.

Author's Notes: Sorry I took so long. I wanted to go all out this time so this chapter would be longer than my past two. I would like to thank both Peachygotit-Kica and Reider for reading and subscribing to my story. I would have dropped this and went on to something else. Arigato, you two, and thanks for making me have a light of hope that my stories may actually be enjoyed! :)

I'm personally pleased with this chapter. The first day, and they got relatively close. I had a bit of trouble with changing which character's experience I was writing from, but it ended well nonetheless.

Now, don't forget to hit that review button down there! _

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	4. Chapter 4

Naruto laid on his bed, staring the ceiling of his apartment. He had been so close to Hinata, he had hugged her -twice, he recalled- and she had enjoyed his cooking. It was more than he had ever expected from Sakura, and in fact, he hadn't even thought of Sakura since he heard about the Akatsuki hideout.

The warm, tingly feeling always returned when he thought about Hinata. He knew he must be careful, as he didn't want to crush what he had started. Naruto always had an absolute belief that if them going out together had become known to the Hyuga, they'd be in a worse state then now.

He couldn't keep it bottled up forever he knew, but all thought had been dispelled when a enthusiastic Sakura showed up in the flap of his tent.

"Tsunade-sama wants to see you, Naruto." She said, but obviously she wanted to know what happened during their date.

"Arigato, Sakura." Naruto replied, not giving in. Sakura immediately noticed that chan was left out from her name. This just reaffirmed her belief that the date had turned out good -well, it was rather that she thought it'd turn out horrible- and Naruto had finally gotten over her.

Naruto simply walked out, while Sakura pleaded with him to give her the details. To stop her unending pleading, he went ahead and started to explain everything that happened during their date, but cutting out Hinata's dance with the water. Sakura was obviously surprised about him cooking and being complimented for it, and so she thought that Hinata was just being nice. She resolved to go and ask her sometime, but this was more important.

They walked to the temporary Hokage residence, and they walked in. It was rather small, but still had the Hokage's desk and chair, miraculously recovered in near-perfect condition, same with the portraits of the previous Hokage.

"Ah, Naruto. We found something addressed to you from.. a friend." Tsunade explained, handing Naruto the letter but not letting Sakura know who it was from, since Sakura didn't know about Naruto's father being the Fourth, it was better keeping it quiet.

Naruto cautiously grabbed the letter from Tsunade and opened it. He read over it, his jaw dropped, his eyes started to tear and he ran out of the tent and dashed faster than he ever had before to the Hokage Mount. He ran up it without using the path, and reached the house in less than five minutes.

The house was as clean as ever. He looked over it again, and walked up to the porch. The envelope had carried a letter saying that his Father had left him his house, but the letter had apparently been lost up until the destruction of the village.

Naruto took the key out of the envelope, stared at it, and inserted it into the lock of the double doors. It was a perfect fit, and when he turned it, her heard a _click_, and the doors slowly opened. He walked into the house, savoring every moment of nostalgia. This, his parents' house, was now _his_. He had inherited the old house, which was supposed to have happened when he turned sixteen, so it was only a year late.

Being inside it, the house was even more beautiful than the glimpse he had taken when he delivered the supplies, which were now neatly packed in the pantry and as explored.

The stairs leading to the second floor were on the far right of the house. The living quarters were carpeted and right next to the kitchen, which could be looked into because of a small window-less hole, which was embedded into the wall that separated the kitchen and living room. The kitchen was a full one, with a large fridge and oven, and everything else you would use. All the eating utensils were carefully organized in the drawer under the sink, which was white with gold fittings.

He walked into the living room, which had a round fireplace in the middle of room. Couches and chairs circled it, with bookshelves in the corners of the room. It was obviously very cozy in here and also meant for many visitors.

He walked back to the stairs and looked up them. He knew what was up there, and he wanted to savor every moment of it. He slowly walked up the stairs which creaked under his step. He reach the top, walked onto the second floor, and saw a hallway lined with rooms. The end of the hallway was well lighted by two large-pane windows, which nearly touched the floor. He walked forward, and read the tags that were on the doors of the rooms.

_ Bathroom... library... guest room... another guest room... master bedroom! _He counted off in his head, he put his hand on the knob of the master bedroom, and slowly opened the door. He saw the place where his parents had slept, their dresser, which he wasted no time walking over to. He opened the drawer and his heart nearly stopped.

In the drawer was a Hokage robe. It wasn't the standard blood red, but an orange. He recalled that his father had spiky blonde hair, like himself, and his mother had red hair, and when yellow and red mix, it creates orange.

He looked at the robe, picked it up, and unfolded it in the air to look at it fully. As he opened it, a note fell to the ground. He grabbed the note from the floor, and read it.

_ To our unborn son, we have had this robe tailored, in knowing that someday he might well become Hokage. We give him our best wishes, and apologize for the life we may be faced with giving him._ The note read. Naruto's eyes teared. They had this robe specially tailored for him. It was _his_ Hokage robe. He stared at it in disbelief and awe.

He carefully refolded the robe and put it back. He shut the drawer and walked out of the room, and shut the door behind him. He resolved to only sleep in one of the guest rooms, as he didn't want to disturb his parents' room. He walked back down the stairs, and started to get things out to cook for breakfast, and another lunch with Hinata that afternoon.

Sakura was absolutely puzzled. Tsunade had told her to stay and let Naruto be alone for a while, and let her go a bit later. She followed the same way Naruto went -except she went up the Mount using the path- and saw Naruto eating on the steps to a large house.

Sakura gaped at it, she walked over and sat next to Naruto. He knew she wanted an explanation, and just gave her the letter that Tsunade had given him. She read it in disbelief. _The Fourth Hokage left him this? No way! He must have felt guilty for the Kyubi._ She went off in her head.

Naruto knew she had thought of it wrong, but he didn't care. It was something he was supposed to keep under wraps anyway, and kept leisurely eating his breakfast. He finished and walked into the house, put his dish in the sink, and checked on some of the meals he was preparing for lunch. He tasted each of them and modified them to perfection.

Sakura watched Naruto work in the kitchen diligently. He had never seen him so focused on something before, aside from his training. She watched him move about, tasting and putting things in the food. It all looked delicious, and Naruto being able to cook frankly shocked her. She smiled. She knew somehow that if things did go off, Hinata would most likely be happy with the village's most unpredictable, knucklehead ninja.

Naruto glanced over at Sakura sitting on the couch watching him cook. He motioned for her to come over, and once she did, she offered her a taste of the stew he had been boiling. She tasted it, licked her lips, and smiled. He knew that Sakura wouldn't lie to him, even if it was absolutely horrible. He smiled too. He grabbed the stew from the stove and poured it into a container and put it into the basket.

They walked outside together, said their farewells and parted ways. Sakura headed back to the Hokage and Naruto went to meet up with Hinata. He was sure today would be the day that he... No, he shouldn't go too far, yet, he should take it a bit slower. But as he headed on his way, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

**Author's Notes: **Yeah, I've had chapter three done since yesterday, so I worked ALL day on this chapter. I'm no good at all with dialogue, and that's why you don't see much of it, yet.

Yes, the cliffhanger here _was_ on purpose, and you can expect a joyous surprise in the next chapter! :)

I'd like to once again thank Peachygotit-Kica for all her support, as I couldn't have been able to continue if it wasn't for her encouragement! I'd also like to thank Reider for egging me on to continue.

Don't forget to hit that review button there! _

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	5. Chapter 5

She stood there, leaning with her back against the wall. Her black and white hair stringing down her back in a high ponytail. She had her arms crossed and was annoyed with the old woman.

"And so, Shia, I ask you this favor." Tsunade said, staring at the younger woman with her usual piercing eyes, looking for any indication she might accept.

Shia stood straight up. "No." She said simply. The old hag had called her all the way back to Konoha to look after some brat with the Kyubi? She didn't have the time to waste.

"At least meet him before you reject me. You might actually like him."

The younger woman's face screwed up in irritation. "No." She repeated.

Tsunade sighed and turned to look out the window. The sun was setting quickly and she had to change Shia's mind before she left tomorrow afternoon.

"You'll meet him, no doubt." She half-whispered to herself. Wether Shia liked it or not, she'd meet up with Naruto before she left. Tsunade would definitely make sure of that.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

The meal was so satisfying, she was beginning to fall asleep next to Naruto as they sat against the tree. They were holding hands, which Hinata now felt more comfortable doing, and were sitting so close their arms touched.

Naruto was watching the birds and the clouds just hum along. He would occasionally look at her, and something was different, she saw. He was more nervous than he was yesterday. It was unlike him to be this nervous, or even nervous at all.

She couldn't help it. Her eyelids were feeling heavy, and were dipping constantly. She occasionally veered to the left, or right, but would wake herself up before falling over. This time, she was too tired to try and wake herself up. She simply let her eyes close and her head fell onto Naruto's shoulder. He moved a bit in surprise, and noticed that she was contently in a light sleep.

He stared at her. He was mesmerized by her beauty, something he had never really saw or appreciated. But it wasn't only her looks, he reminded himself. It was her personality, her understanding of him, that he liked the most.

She breathed slowly. She made light squeaks when she exhaled. Naruto found it funny and cute. Just in the two hours they had been together that day, he felt closer to her than near anyone. He still couldn't open up to her. He wanted so badly to tell her how he felt, but he had never said anything like that to anyone before, not even Ero-Sennin.

He was starting to feel sleepy himself. His eyelids drooped, and he fell in a light doze and his head lightly fell onto Hinata's. They both sat there, sleeping next to each other comfortably.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

When he woke up, it was nearly night. He looked down. Hinata had moved from his shoulder and was contently laying her head on his leg. He smiled. Unfortunately, they would both have to head home, and as much as he hated to admit it, he still couldn't tell her.

He lightly shook her shoulder, softly murmuring "Hinata-chan..." to wake her up. He eyes fluttered. As she began to realize where she was, she jumped up. Her blush returned, but immediately went to a crimson.

"Gomen, Naruto-kun!" She said, bowing her head. He thought it cute, but kind of annoying when she apologized for doing nothing wrong.

"It's fine, Hinata-chan." Resting his arm on the ground, he pushed himself up and grabbed Hinata's hand to help her up. As soon as she was up, they packed up their picnic and began the walk home, hand in hand.

As they reached the Hyuga estate, they stopped on the corner. They gave each other a hug, and as Hinata began to walk away, Naruto berated himself for not doing what he had planned. He had wanted to tell Hinata his feelings, but couldn't bring himself to do so. But he would _not_ miss this chance, he told himself.

Before she had walked much farther, he walked up behind her grabbed her arm, turned her around and kissed her.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

She was shocked. She was far more shocked than when he had asked her out and had shown up. Her heart was beating the fastest it had ever gone in her life. Her mind was unable to keep up with her heart, and she felt dizzy and light-headed.

_ H-he...he.. he's kissing me... _He mind was saying. She couldn't believe it. She thought it was a dream. If it was, she didn't want it to end. She felt warm. She was grabbing Naruto's arms tight, she noticed, and let her grip lessen.

Much to her disappointment, he took his lips from hers. He stared into her eyes. She into his. She could tell everything he was thinking and wanted to say by just looking. She understood. Oh, how she did.

"Gomen, Hinata-chan." He said softly. She smiled. Much to his surprise, she hugged him and kissed him. She was even more shocked by her own confidence. _She _had kissed Naruto. He was probably as shocked as she was, but nevertheless enjoyed it all the same.

They broke apart from their embrace. They smiled at each other. He touched his forehead to hers. He still couldn't say it, but he could convey it. And he knew she understood. They hugged each other once more, and they both walked their own way.

It was the best evening of her life. She had kissed Naruto, the man she had dreamed of since she was young. Her fantasies had become a reality. He heart was still beating at a increased rate, and her breathing was shallow. She relived in her mind those few moments they had been embracing.

And then the worst thing of the evening had happened. Neji walked in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat, and now she went from entranced to scared. She knew he had seen.

"I see you two are getting close, Hinata-sama." The older Hyuga said, staring at her with those pearly white eyes.

"H-hai, Neji-san... B-but please, don't tell father..." Her usual stutter returning, scared for what her father might do.

"It's my duty, Hinata-sama. I will tell him, but upon your request, what I witnessed this evening will remain a secret." He told her, walking away. "For now." He commented.

She was frightened. Tomorrow she would warn Naruto. She had to. Father wouldn't be pleased whatsoever, and worst case scenario was that he would use the Hyuga family sword. She held Neji to his word, but eventually, Father would find out.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

Shia also witnessed everything, walked back to her tent in the woods. She decided to follow Naruto around the next day, and if she so decided to take him, she would also take the girl with her to keep him out of her hair most of the time.

She walked back to her tent. She opened the flap and secured it. She set some genjutsu barriers around it, to protect herself from stalkers and trespassers. She undressed and laid in her cot. Shia fell asleep for the night, and rested for the stresses of tomorrow.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

Naruto had finally cleaned out and prepared the first guest room for use. He packed all his old things in the room, which had fit in that one room as he didn't have much, and jumped on the bed.

He had kissed her. He felt the warmth of her lips, they were soft and tender. He had felt her breath on his face. The whole time he had felt an odd sensation, the warmth he felt from thinking about her had doubled in their embrace.

He wouldn't let himself down the next time. He wouldn't, under any circumstances. If he was faced with death, he would tell her and give her one final kiss. If he was faced with her dying, he would martyr himself for the cause of keeping her safe, and do the same thing.

He turned his lamp off for the night, closed his eyes, and entered his dreams. To keep on friendly terms with the Kyubi, he recounted all the events of the day, though he knew the fox knew and honestly didn't care, he still talked to him anyway before slipping into his dreams.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

**Author's Notes: **Yes, Chapter five is a bit shorter than three and four, but I'm trying to save the largest part of the plot line twist for chapter six and later chapters. Shia's full name is Shia Seishin. You'll hear about her past in the next chapter.

Yes, Shia is a custom character of mine. It took me a bit, but after inventing a new Kekkai Genkai and clan name, I had the inspiration to add a new plot line to the story. Enjoy, and don't forget to review! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Realization - Chapter 6

Walking down the empty street towards his usual training spot. He had mastered his Rasengan, and was forbidden to use the Rasen-shuriken, so he simply decided to prod into his mind and talk to the Kyubi. He hadn't really done anything to just generally talk to him if it wasn't absolutely necessary, since he and the Kyubi weren't exactly on _friendly _terms. He resolved to have Hinata watch him while she trained in case he had lost control at some point at was going into the Nine Tails Cloak.

He rounded the corner and stopped to see an odd, middle-aged woman with white and black hair standing in front of a billboard advertising Ero Sennin's last book. He hadn't ever seen her before, and wondered where she came from. She turned towards his direction, and stared at him. He couldn't make it out well, but he thought he saw her eyes turn from black to cyan, and back again. He was puzzled by the stranger, and in the instant he opened his mouth, she vanished. This only sparked Naruto's curiosity even further, and he made a rock-solid decision to find the woman.

He continued on, only to be ran into by Kiba, who was on his daily jog with Akamaru.

"Watch where you're going you idiot!" He yelled, rubbing his behind, before opening his eyes and seeing Naruto standing up. Naruto offered a hand out to Kiba, who took it.

"Sorry about that, I was thinking."

"Ha! You, thinking? That's hardly believable."

"You ever seen a woman with black and white hair with black eyes?" Naruto questioned his friend, seriously hoping someone else knew her.

"No, no I haven't. But anyways, I've got to go, catch ya' later!" Kiba said while continuing on his run.

Naruto's spirits dropped. Who was this mysterious character, and where had she come from?

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

Hinata was doing the morning's shopping, looking for various spices and ingredients for that day's family meeting. She always dreaded these gatherings, as she was usually ignored or barely had any chance to speak. Hinata's main job was to provide the lunch for everyone, which took a lot out of her.

She couldn't help but think of the previous night. Of the dreamy delight, and then bitter fright she had felt. It had scared her to think Neji found out about her and Naruto. She knew the family would seriously disapprove of the couple, and would attempt anything to break it up. She sighed. It wouldn't be easy, but she wouldn't let this chance escape her.

Hinata entered the store, and happened to see a black-and-white haired woman looking in a ton of different places, and seemed to be having trouble finding something.

"Do you need any help, miss?" Hinata asked the woman politely.

The strange woman snapped her head to look at Hinata, how gave a little startled jump back. "No, I don't suppose I do." She said, walking away.

Now that Hinata thought about it, she came to the conclusion that woman was a stranger. She had no headband, and didn't dress like anyone she had seen in the village. She shrugged her shoulders and continued her browsing of the wares, frowning and jumping in delight here and there when she either didn't find something, or found something better.

Without her knowing, she was getting odd looks from the people passing by who happened to see one of her mood swings. Some shrugged it off and others just stared. Most of them thought _isn't that the Hyuga's heir? _or_ What in the blazes is wrong with her? _Hinata finished her shopping and looked around. Everyone quickly turned their gaze somewhere else, and Hinata immediately understood, and took on her usual bright red blushes.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

_Well, they're both strange ones. Especially the girl. I guess I can take them and make them proper while I'm at it… but it would seriously cut on my down time… but then they really need some good guidance… _Shia argued back and forth with herself in her mind. She came up with hundreds of reason to and not to take them. Either way, if she said no, she'd have to cast a major genjutsu on most all of the village to sneak out successfully, and then she wouldn't have enough energy to go any farther than her cabin.

Shia sighed and resumed walking down the street. She had analyzed every point she could scrutinize and decided after all to just take them and be over with the whole thing. She could tell that both of them had promise, and with guidance, they could be far better shinobi than most of the village. But then, again, she thought to herself about why _not _taking them was also a good idea. If she said yes, Tsunade wouldn't let her live it down that she had given in to the old hag's will, but if she said no, Tsunade would throw them with her anyway.

"It's not as if I have a choice, apparently." She said aloud, not at all aware of the fact she was being trailed.

Naruto jumped from the roof of the building he had been on, and landed on the ground with nibble steps, barely making a sound, as he was in his Sage Mode.

"Don't have a choice for what?" He asked. The woman just stared at him. "Well?" He prodded.

He looked at her eyes, which were turning from what appeared to be their normal color - black - to a cyan, and took on a spiral in her eye. This was not the Sharingan, nor the Byakugan, nor even the Rinnegan. _What is it? _Naruto thought. He suddenly felt a low rumble in his stomach, and appeared in front of the Kyubi, who hadn't talk to him during his training.

_ It's the Shinme. _Kyubi said, without any further input. Naruto snapped back to his actual vision, and saw that the woman has disappeared, and he was standing in the middle of the town square. _How did I get here? _He looked around. No one was present. He felt a _bonk _on the side of his head, and he fell unconscious.

**::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::xx::**

**Author's Notes: **Yo! Really sorry about the late post, but life's kept me busy the past couple of weeks. It's kinda short here, but I promise to make the next chapter a long one with lots of info into the Shinme. The Shinme and Shia are both my own custom creations, so I'll have to make up a description for them, too! Wait for the next!


	7. Chapter 7

The square was not Konoha, he realized. It was someplace different, foreign. Naruto looked around. There were shops, houses, stands... but it was empty. Not a person, not a thing could be seen. Naruto felt around with his chakra, the control something he had learned during his Sage training.

He felt everything around him. It all felt real, but Naruto knew something was wrong. He had just been in Konoha, how could he have gotten to a foreign town?

"Anyone here?" He called. No response.

"Hello!" Still nothing.

"This is my old home." A voice from no where said.

"This is Bara. It used to be a very lively town." When the voice spoke this, people appeared from no where. Walking around, talking, buying and selling. Naruto tried to talk to them, but it was if he wasn't there.

"I was only a baby in these days. I remember almost nothing more than what Tsunade had told me."

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, still looking for the source of the voice. A black-and-white haired woman walked up to him.

"I am Shia Seishin. Last member of the clan of my surname, and last inheritor of the Shinme kekkai genkai. You are in it's illusion now. The Shinme's genjutsu ability puts the Sharingan you hold to esteemed to shame.

"When entrapped in the Shinme's hold, you can not tell the difference between reality and the illusion. It's genjutsu is unfalteringly inseparable from reality, and not even the greatest of genjutsu users have ever been able to counter or dispel it."

Naruto grew ever more curious.

"So, what happened to your town?"

"It was destroyed. Fear of our ability, and a mutiny, had both played parts in Bara's demise."

"What was the mutiny?"

"It started three decades ago. Our founder, Elen Seishin, had began to secretly tamper with the combination of a Sharingan and a Byakugan. As much as Tsunade has revealed, Elen-sama was in league with a person called Orochimaru.

"While she was working with this Orochimaru, she had taken and experimented with his supplies of Sharingan and Byakugan eyes from deceased Konoha shinobi. She had mixed the two kekkai genkai's abilities, and finally found herself with a new one, which she named the Shinme."

"She was working with Orochimaru? How did she come to know him?"

"No one knows for sure. She simply began working with him, and deserted him after she had created the Shinme. Apparently, the Shinme was one of the few things Orochimaru was frightened of."

"He was frightened of it? Why?"

"The Shinme's genjutsu power, for one. The other reason in the Shinme's unique ability to perfectly replicate and double the power of any Jutsu, despite being of a different chakra nature.

"For example, you, who are a Wind element, cannot use fire Jutsus, can you? The Shinme takes away this restriction. I am a Water element." And with saying this, she turned to one of the buildings - the villagers now being gone.

"Katon, Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" And just then, a fireball larger than Naruto had ever seen Sasuke create, hit the building and it erupted in smoldering ash and flickers of flame remained.

Naruto stared in disbelief. She had told the truth, she could replicate and double the power of any natured jutsu.

"The Shinme's replicating power is not limited to ninjutsu, but can copy genjutsu and taijutsu."

To demonstrate, she walked to a stand.

"First Gate, Gate of Opening, KAI!" She immediately turned red, and Naruto felt the immense power coursing through her veins. She jabbed the stand with her finger, and the wood shattered into pieces. She closed the gate, and returned to Naruto.

"Our ability is dangerous. We probably could have even copied Orochimaru's immortality Jutsu. The only thing we can not replicate, is the power of the Tailed Beasts. One of which I know you carry inside your stomach.

"We also possess similar power as the Yamanaka clan, being able to peer into our victim's minds with ease, and they won't ever notice it.

"Our genjutsu doesn't take much of our chakra, not even a large scale one such as this." She motioned to the town around her.

"This is pretty much nothing. This also applies to our permanent genjutsu, which will never wear off unless sealed by the Uzumaki clan, or dispelled by another Shinme inheritor. Our only downside, is that the more we use our large-scale genjutsu, the more of our vision we lose. Our penalty is similar to the Uchiha's, but our consecutive usage doesn't affect us nearly as much.

"But back to the mutiny. The mutiny began with one of our top shinobi carrying and important document on the only actual weakness of the Shinme to a rebellion group near the Land of Lightning.

"The reason the mutiny started is because the clan was upset with Elen-sama for two reasons. First, she had sacrificed many Seishin for he experiments into creating an even more powerful ocular kekkai genkai than the Shinme. Second was because she was planning wars with everyone around us, and threatening our fortunes and citizens.

"They hated her, and eventually, they assassinated her. This mutiny took her down, but then sparked a fight over who would replace Elen-sama as the clan leader. This broke down our ranks and destroyed the clan system enough that enemy clans and nations could come in and take us all out.

"I was the only known person fortunate enough to survive the destruction, yet I am unfortunate in the way that every decent male is frightened of me, and I cannot continue my line. I am alone most all my days, but Tsunade is having me watch over you, for a while."

Naruto mulled over everything he had heard. He understood this woman was incredible. She was dangerous. She was skilled. She could very well beat anyone! Naruto wanted to know this secret weakness the Shinme had, but he knew he wouldn't get it from her.

"Your girlfriend will be joining us soon." Shia said.

"Why will Hinata-chan be here?"

"I'm taking her with us. Frankly, I'm hoping she'll keep you out of my hair."

As Shia turned away, Naruto stuck his tongue out at her. _Mean old hag._ He thought.

"I'm not old. I'm only 32." She said. Smirking to herself as she sat down on one of the illusionary benches.

She could read his thoughts. So this is the power of the Shinme... Naruto grew ever more amazed at the weird woman. His attention was ripped away from Shia as he saw Hinata materialize in the illusion.

He caught his breath. She now had a continuous ability to surprise him with her beauty. She was wearing plain, every day clothing instead of her usual uniform.

**::::-::::-::::-::::-::::**

She looked around. She was entirely befuddled, and saw Naruto standing in the middle of the square. She walked over to him, her confusion plainly on her face. He simply pointed to Shia.

"Welcome to my hometown, Bara." She said.

_She's the woman I saw in the shop!_ Hinata saw. The same half-white and half-black hair, stretching to just below her shoulders. She wore a blue shirt underneath a black jacket, with an eye that was surrounded by a swirl, colored in green. Her piercing black eyes stared at Hinata, as if she knew everything about her.

"I am that woman. The base thing you should know here, is you are coming with me and Naruto here, to my house where I'll keep you under watch for a while." Shia explained. She stood up, snapped her fingers and smiled in satisfaction.

Naruto and Hinata looked around as the town started to disintegrate, slowly revealing a large, three story house. The house was in a circular clearing, and surrounded by towering trees.

"This house is real, but it is created using the Shinme. Naruto can explain it to you later, Hinata."

Hinata looked to her boyfriend, but he stared at the house and offered no explanation. They followed Shia into the house.

"There are rooms upstairs. Take your pick. And by the way, keep separate. I don't want any babies running around here and making a ton of racket."

They both blushed deeply. As Shia turned and walked into the kitchen, he once more stuck is tongue out at her. Hinata smiled slightly.

"W-well... I'm going to go find a room." Hinata said, walking up the stairs.

Naruto nodded. He walked into the living room and sat down on the blue leather couch. He figured everything in the house was made with the Shinme, but it all felt real. The Shinme could definitely challenge the power of a Bijuu, and Naruto knew he would never have a chance at fighting Shia.

Naruto pondered how Tsunade Baa-chan and Shia had met, and resolved to ask her later. _Orochimaru was in some deep stuff. How far did that guy go?_ He thought. Shia's whole story was hardly believable, but he had a feeling she wasn't lying.

He set his stuff next to the couch, propped himself into a comfortable sleeping position, and drowsed off into an interesting dream.

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Naruto woke up some two hours later to a call from the dining room. It was Shia's voice. She was calling them to dinner, and Naruto wondered if she had made the food using her kekkai genkai.

He walked in to see Hinata already seated and eating. Everything on the table looked delicious, and he wondered if this was how Shia always ate. If so, how is she so thin? He laughed inwardly.

Naruto sat down next to Hinata, who just continued blushing and eating. He grabbed his chop sticks, and went for something that resembled ramen, but had a distinct taste and texture. It was delicious he thought. Naruto smiled in satisfaction. He quickly finished his first bowl of the soup.

"Go on. There's plenty more." Shia said.

He smiled and plowed into a newly filled bowl of the delicious broth. He loved it, maybe even more than ramen! No. Ramen will always be my favorite. He finished his second bowl, patted his stomach, and excused himself back to the living room.

Naruto listened as Shia and Hinata cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes. They talked to each other, whispering indistinctly, to the point where Naruto couldn't overhear the conversation. He figured it was done deliberately, so he began to fall asleep.

He heard the girls say good night to each other. Shia walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Hinata stayed a moment. Then she walked over to Naruto. She carefully - using all her skills as a shinobi - climbed the couch to behind Naruto. She laid there, blushing madly, her heart thumping more than she would have liked, and only a hairsbreadth from Naruto. She put her arm around Naruto's waist, who didn't notice as he continued to sleep. _I don't want this to end._ She thought to herself.

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**Author's Notes: **This chapter was by far the hardest to come up with. It took me an entire week to think up the plotline, and an entire day to put it on paper. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, though.

Enjoy, and don't forget to review!


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